1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to cutting boards and serving bowls, and more particularly a bowl and cutting board combination wherein the bowl is provided with a removable cutting board for use as a cutting surface or food preparation and handling surface.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Many foods, such as salads, are served in bowls wherein the food is placed in the bowl and dressings may be added and mixed with the food in the bowl. Often it is desirable to cut the food in the bowl into smaller pieces and blend the mixture so as to be more appetizing and more easily handled and eaten. Usually the cutting is done with a knife and fork entirely within the bowl with the interior of the bowl acting as the cutting surface.
This process presents several problems: (1) the interior surface of the bowl will be cut or marked, (2) certain food products, will enter the surface cuts and collect bacteria, particularly raw meats, and (3) the bowl cannot be properly cleaned. Some high quality wooden bowls are expensive and can be ruined, and most plastic bowls generally have soft surfaces which are unsuitable for cutting surfaces.
Common cutting boards are often used in cutting and preparing salads and the like, but the cut materials must then be lifted or scraped into a large bowl for serving or further mixing or preparation. Foods such as citris fruits or sauces will generate liquids which run off common boards and are lost or make a mess on counter tops or table tops.
There are several patents which disclose various cutting board devices.
Haskins et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,737 discloses a cutting board having one or more large openings and channels on the underside which slidably receive the upper end of a catch basin.
Crowhurst, U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,318 discloses a cutting board which has a tray which attaches magnetically to extend from one end of the cutting board such that food articles can be chopped and collected in the tray, then emptied by upending the combined cutting board and tray or by disengaging the tray.
Blackstone, U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,097 discloses fish bait cutting device which has an octagonal cutting block permanently secured to the bottom of a tub at the center wherein the perpendicular sides of the octagonal cutting block are spaced inward from the inner walls of the tub to form a surrounding reservoir to collect cuttings and hold cutting tools.
Shamoon, U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,964 discloses a cutting board which fits over a sink basin and has a depending flange on the front side which engages the countertop and has an opening which receives a wire basket.
Huppert, U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,603 discloses a square cutting board having outwardly extending legs at the corners which allow the cutting board to be suspended over a sink basin.
Leavens, U.S. Pat. No. 4,456,021 discloses a combination kitchen sink having at least one basin and a support rail on opposite sides, a colander slidably disposed on the support rails and a cutting board slidably disposed above the colander.
The present invention is distinguished over the prior art in general, and these patents in particular by a bowl and cutting board combination which has a bowl member configured to removably receive and support a cutting board member at its upper end and when supported on the bowl member is used for cutting or preparing foods placed thereon, and thereafter the cutting board is removed and used to transfer the foods thereon which have been cut or prepared into the bowl member. The cutting board member serves as a cutting surface, a food preparation surface, and a handling surface, and the bowl member serves as the support for the cutting board member and as a container for receiving solid and liquid foods which have been cut or prepared on the cutting board member. The cutting board member optionally serves as a lid for the bowl member to cover the contents of the bowl, before or after cutting or preparation. In another embodiment, the cutting board member is removably received and supported in the top end of an open ended funnel member which is supported on a serving bowl or on a stand above the serving bowl wherein the funnel member serves as the support for the cutting board member and to direct foods into the serving bowl member. The combination may also be used for non-food purposes wherein various materials are contained or stored in the bowl-shaped container and the planar board serves as a lid and as a utility working surface for working with materials stored in the bowl-shaped container.